24 research outputs found
Description of a New Species of Pranesus (Atherinidae: Pisces) from the Capricorn Group, Great Barrier Reef
Volume: 15Start Page: 540End Page: 54
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Repository relevant testing applied to the Yucca Mountain Project
The tuff beds of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, are currently being investigated as a site for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste in an underground repository. If this site is found suitable, the repository would be located in the unsaturated zone above the water table, and a description of the site and the methodology of assessing the performance of the repository are described in the Site Characterization Plan (SCP). While many factors are accounted for during performance assessment, an important input parameter is the degradation behavior of the waste forms, which may be either spent fuel or reprocessed waste contained in a borosilicate glass matrix. To develop the necessary waste form degradation input, the waste package environment needs to be identified. This environment will change as the waste decays and also is a function of the repository design which has not yet been finalized. At the present time, an exact description of the waste package environment is not available. The SCP does provide an initial description of conditions that can be used to guide waste form evaluation. However, considerable uncertainty exists concerning the conditions under which waste form degradation and radionuclide release may occur after the waste package containment barriers are finally breached. The release conditions that are considered to be plausible include (1) a {open_quotes}bathtub{close_quotes} condition in which the waste becomes fully or partially submerged in water that enters the breached container and accumulates to fill the container up to the level of the breach opening, (2) a {open_quotes}wet drip{close_quotes} or {open_quotes}trickle through{close_quotes} condition in which the waste form is exposed to dripping water that enters through the top and exits the bottom of a container with multiple holes, and (3) a {open_quotes}dry{close_quotes} condition in which the waste form is exposed to a humid air environment